Diligent Heart
by hollygolightly3
Summary: A case so complex that it may never be solved, comes to the attention of NCIS. Can Gibbs and his team figure it out with the help of two troublesome FBI agents? Will one of the agents be forever changed? (This story is a sequel to my previous story Where My Demons Hide) (Reviews are always welcome.)
1. Chapter 1

He knew it was going to happen. He couldn't run any longer, and he accepted that. He walked through the house one last time, taking it all in. He smiled at the photographs that hung neatly on the walls, and he smiled at the memories of his childhood. Thirty-three. He never expected to die at thirty-three. He thought of the FBI agent who had been assigned to protect him. _What was her name? _He couldn't remember. But he did remember that he had liked her.

He also remembered what he did to her. He remembered how he had hurt her. There was no other option. If he hadn't hurt her, she would be here now, and she would die with him. She didn't deserve to die. She didn't deserve what he did to her either. He thought of the look in her eyes when she realized she had been betrayed. He could see it as though it was happening now.

**_He stood very still, while she made sure his house was clear. He could hear her heels clicking on the wooden floors of his home, as she searched for intruders. She came out onto the porch, and told him the house was clear. But he didn't move. He stood completely still on the paved driveway. The FBI agent approached him._**

**_"Are you all right?" the agent asked as she stepped closer._**

**_"No," he responded._**

**_The agent was right in front of him now. She looked him straight in the face and knew that something was very wrong._**

**_"Talk to me," she said softly._**

**_His hand was withdrawn into the sleeve of his suit jacket. He silently withdrew the blade of his pocket knife. Before the agent could say another word, he stabbed her. He stabbed her only once. It was his goal only to wound, not to kill. The agent's green eyes expanded in shock as she felt the blade cut her. She inhaled sharply. Her knees gave out, and her body began to drop but he caught her. He held her in his arms, as she struggled._**

**_"I'm so sorry," he whispered. "This is for your own good. I know you're supposed to protect me, but you can't."_**

**_He put her unconscious body into his car, and drove her to the nearest hospital. Nurses and Doctors swarmed her, and he slipped out the door without being noticed. He returned home, to await the arrival of his murderer. To await the arrival of his death._**

The sound of a car pulling into his driveway brought him back from the memory. It was time. Time to die. He sat down in his favorite arm chair, and faced the front door. He hadn't bothered locking it, he knew there was no evading what was to come.

The front door opened, and there he stood. The killer. The murderer had a gun in his hand, ready to shoot. He raised his arm, aimed the gun, and fired.

* * *

The house was swarming with police. The crime scene was a peculiar one. The police went through the victim's personal belongings, searching for something, anything that would lead them to his killer. A police officer looked down at the body. The victim was sitting in an arm chair when he was murdered. The officer noticed a tattoo on the victims arm. He looked closer, and sighed.

"Someone call NCIS!" he shouted.

"Why NCIS?" someone asked.

"This guy's a Marine."


	2. Chapter 2

Timothy McGee typed away at his desk. Anthony DiNozzo sighed as he was put on hold by an unhelpful woman at the Pentagon. Eleanor Bishop crunched a salty potato chip between her teeth as she read through a case file. The team was hard at work.

"There's something fishy about this case," Tony muttered angrily, still on hold.

"Fishy?" McGee asked, looking away from his computer screen for the first time in hours.

"Fried or baked?" Bishop asked distractedly.

"No, Bishop. Fishy as in something's not right, not fishy as in food," Tony explained.

"Well, what do you mean?" McGee asked.

"There's nothing on this guy. There is absolutely nothing on Thomas Flynn. No previous employment, or education information anywhere," Tony said, exasperated.

"I'm not having any luck on bank records either," McGee said in defeat.

"Bishop, did you find anything?" Tony asked.

"No, but I have a hunch."

"What are we going to tell Gibbs? We can't just tell him that Bishop has a hunch," Tony said.

Then Gibbs strode into the bullpen, having overheard the conversation.

"You're right, DiNozzo. Get back to work," he said as he sat down behind his desk. "Bishop, tell me about this hunch."

"Well, we can't find anything on Thomas Flynn. It's almost as if he doesn't exist!" Bishop said excitedly. "We found his body in an unusual position. He was sitting in an armchair. It's almost like he was waiting for something."

"So?"

"Well, that's not the hunch. I think he may have been under protection," Bishop said.

"Protection from who?" DiNozzo asked incredulously.

"The FBI," Gibbs answered with his eyes glued to the elevator.

"What do you mean, Boss?" McGee asked, confused.

"The FBI is here."

Special Agent Ron Sacks stepped off the elevator, and approached Gibbs' desk.

"Gibbs," Agent Sacks said in greeting.

"Why are you here, Sacks?" Gibbs asked.

"I'm here to brief you," Agent Sacks explained. "Lance Corporal Flynn was under FBI protection. But since his protection detail failed, we're handing this case over to NCIS."

"Who was supposed to be protecting him?" Gibbs asked.

Agent Sacks put his hands in his pockets, and sighed. "Special Agents Tobias Fornell, and Dawson Montgomery."

"Fornell and Montgomery?" DiNozzo asked incredulously.

"What happened?" Gibbs asked.

"They split the protection detail into shifts. At the time of the murder Fornell was at home, and Montgomery was with Lance Corporal Flynn. As you know, Vaughn's body was discovered this morning by a neighbor, but Agent Montgomery has been missing since yesterday afternoon. No one's heard from her," Agent Sacks explained.

"Why was he under FBI protection?"

"He was an informant. That's all I can say."

"That's all you can say?" Gibbs asked angrily. "You expect us to solve this case, and that's all you can say?"

"Agent Fornell will be able to fill you in more. He's trying to find Agent Montgomery at the moment, but he'll report NCIS as soon as he can."

Agent Sacks nodded at Gibbs, and left the bullpen.

"I really don't like that guy," muttered DiNozzo as he watched Agent Sacks step into the elevator and disappear.

"Okay," Gibbs said. "Change of plan. We aren't going to get anywhere with this case unless we get in touch with Fornell." He pulled his cell phone out of his pocket, and dialed Fornell. It rang and rang, but there was no answer.

"DiNozzo, Bishop, find out what happened to Dawson Montgomery, and where she is now. It's been a long time since we worked with her, but I know she wouldn't just walk away from a case. McGee, find Fornell. I don't care how, just do it. Track his phone, check his bank records, just find him. I'm not waiting for him to come to us."

* * *

After Agent Sacks' visit, Gibbs went straight to Autopsy to see if Ducky had found anything. Flynn's body was on the table, and Ducky was leaning over it.

"What do ya got for me, Duck?" Gibbs asked as he approached Ducky.

"Well, Jethro, there isn't much to tell. The cause of death was one gunshot wound to the head. The bullet hit him right between the eyes, so I would say that the killer is someone who is very experienced with guns. Possibly another Marine. Abby's got the bullet. she should be finished with it soon."

"Thanks, Duck."

Gibbs was gone as quickly as he had arrived.


End file.
